95 Buick Regal Custom door handle problem

The outer handle on the drivers side won't open the door. The inside
handle works fine.
The panel is off and the rubber seal is pulled back.
The rod from the handle to the latch moves but not enough to trip the

catch.
It's either bent or worn, but how could it have become bent?
It looks like the whole latch mechanism must come out. It's fastened
in with pop-rivets.
I'm on a tight budget and the kids need to eat. Is there some way I
can fix this without drilling the rivets out?
Thanks for any help anyone can give me on this matter.
Peg

Look at the part of the handle that moves the rod. It may have cracked.
If it is just a bent rod you can bend it back some and see if it works
that way. Also look at the locking lever on the latch, if it isn't
moving all the way to unlock it can cause this symptom.

Got it!!
It seems to be working. Nothing was broken but the rod was bent.
I bent it back enough to get it working and the window seems to go up
and down okay.
Thanks for the helpful suggestion Steve.
Regards, Peg

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